Which to use
“Lärm” is a noun and “lax” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,622
- “Lärm” frequency rank
- #43,323
- “lax” frequency rank
- 48945
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lärm | lax |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | subjektiv als unangenehm empfundener Schall, der unerwünschte Auswirkungen auf den Menschen hat (etwa das Gehör schädigt, krank machen kann, stört oder belästigt) | nicht streng (in der Auslegung von Regeln) |
Where the eye mixes Lärm and lax
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. Lärm runs 4 letters (CVCC) against lax's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Lärm vs lax
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lärm is [lɛʁm] while lax is [laks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48945, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lärm is recorded at frequency rank #5,622, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛʁm]. lax is at rank #43,323, tagged as anadj, pronounced [laks].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 48945, this pair ranks #1,229,739 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lärm vs lax
Shared letters: l. Private to "Lärm": mrä. Private to "lax": ax.
"Lärm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lax" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lärm" for "lax" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Lärm" vs "lax" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Lärm" and "lax" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lärm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lax" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,229,739 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lärm" and "lax" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lax". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,229,739 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.